| Line | Suppose we were in a spaceship in free fall, where |
| objects are weightless, and wanted to know a small | |
| solid object’s mass. We could not simply balance | |
| that object against another of known weight, as we | |
| (5) | would on Earth. The unknown mass could be |
| determined, however, by placing the object on a | |
| spring scale and swinging the scale in a circle at | |
| the end of a string. The scale would measure the | |
| tension in the string, which would depend on both | |
| (10) | the speed of revolution and the mass of the object. |
| The tension would be greater, the greater the mass | |
| or the greater the speed of revolution. From the | |
| measured tension and speed of whirling, we could | |
| determine the object’s mass. | |
| (15) | Astronomers use an analogous procedure to |
| “weigh” double-star systems. The speed with which | |
| the two stars in a double-star system circle one | |
| another depends on the gravitational force between | |
| them, which holds the system together. This | |
| (20) | attractive force, analogous to the tension in the |
| string, is proportional to the stars’ combined mass, | |
| according to Newton’s law of gravitation. By | |
| observing the time required for the stars to circle | |
| each other (the period) and measuring the distance | |
| (25) | between them, we can deduce the restraining |
| force, and hence the masses. |
Which of the following best describes the relationship between the first and the second paragraph of the passage?
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